Apparatus for spooling wrappings



June 27, 1944. E. A. DAVIS APPARATUS FOR SPOOLING WRAPPINGS Filed Jan. 20, 1943 HL/ETWZUL ZJEEQEIZZEU 5 J E J I W 3 y? 4 3 3 Patented June 27, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR SPOOLING WRAPPINGS Edward A. Davis, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 20, 1943, Serial No. 472,970

10 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for spooling cloth Wrappings used in the manufacture of rubber hose and similar articles.

In the manufacture of rubber hose, inner tubes and similar elongated tubular articles, it has been the practice to vulcanize the tubular articles upon long cylindrical cores, poles, or mandrels in the presence of steam under pressure, the article having been confined to the surface of the mandrel by helical wrappings of cloth applied over the surface of the rubber article. These wrappings have been applied to the article supported by the mandrel in helical convolutions overlappin each other, the cloth used having been of a narrow and uniform width and th angle of the wrapping having been varied with the diameter of the article to provide the proper overlap.

After the tubular articles have been vulcanized it has been necessary to remove the wrappings therefrom by hand, the mandrel with the article thereon having been supported for free rotation and the wrappings having been pulled from the article hand over hand by the operator. Such manipulations have not only involved considerable strength, due to the adhesion of the cloth to the rubber, but it has also been necessary to rewind the wrappings on spools for reuse.

The present invention aims to overcome the foregoing dilficulties, and to provide apparatus for unwrapping and spooling the wrappings.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide for spooling the wrappings directl while unwrapping them from the vulcanized article; to provide for power-driven unwinding and spooling of the wrappings; to provide for unwrapping and spooling of the wrappings at any desiredan vgle; to provide convenient manipulation of the driving unit; to provide against unwrapping of the spooled wrappings and to cushion the winding apparatus against shock due to entangling or increased tension of the wrappings.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

f th drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatus constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention. A portion of the mandrel supporting means is shown with the mandrel and vulcanized article supported thereon, the spooling apparatus being shown in full lines as operating to unwrap the wrappings applied to the article in a helix coiled in one direction, and in dot and dash lines as operating to unwrap the cloth in the Opposite direction, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the spooling mechanism and part of the supporting carriage, parts being broken away and parts shown in section.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the spooling mechanism looking from the right of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional detail view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail View taken on line *5-5 of Fig. 3 showing the winding spool and its supporting shaft and the wrapping thereon.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a spooling mechanism is mounted for swivel movement upon a carriage movable along a sup-- port for a mandrel and arranged to be directly driven by power under control of an operator who guides the carriage in its movements, and means are provided for preventing rotating movement of the spooling mechanism and for cushioning the spooling mechanism.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral Ill designates a cylindrical mandrel which supports a tubular article ll, such as a length of rubber hose, enclosed by a helical Wrapping 12 of fabric. For supporting the mandrel'and the hose, a frame I3 is provided, having pedestal brackets l4 formed with aligned parallel bearings I5, IS. The bearings ['5 are adapted to support rotatably a shaft I I on which are secured rollers l8. Bearings [6 support short shafts l9 each having a roller 20 affixed thereto. Rollers I 8 and 20 are arranged in close relation with their upper surfaces exposed so as-to. receive and support-a mandrel I0 and the wrappedarticle thereon in the bite therebetween. The shaft I1 is adapted to be driven by any suitable power means (not shown) in either direction for the-purpose of rotating the mandrel 10 when a cloth wrapping is to be applied thereto or to be removed therefrom. For guiding and supporting the spooling mechanism hereinafter more fully described, rails 30, 3| are fixed to the frame l3, parallel to the mandrel, and a carriage 32 having anti-friction rollers 33, 34, for engaging the rails, is mounted thereon for rolling movement along the rails. An arm 35 extends upwardly from the carriage 32, to which it is fixed, and is providedat its upper extremity with bearings 36, 31, aligned vertically, for supporting the spooling mecha nism.

The spooling mechanism comprises a bedplate 40 fixed to a vertical shaft 4l' mounted to swivel in the bearings 36, 31, the shaft having a collar 42 secured thereto for engaging the bearing 36 to support the weight of the spooling mechanism, which may be lifted from its bearings and removed when desired. The bed plate supports a head stock 43 fixed thereto at one end of the bed plate and adapted to support a spool or shell 44 substantially centered over the center of its swivel shaft 41.

A shaft 45 is rotatably supported by bearings 46, 41 of the head stock and its overhanging portion is squared as at 48 to engage a square bore of the shell. An annular flange 5B is fixed to the shaft 45 and prevents movement of the shell toward the head stock while also serving to guide the wrapping in winding it. A latch 5| is pivotally mounted as at 52 in a notch 53 formed in the out-board end of the shaft and a leaf spring 54 secured to the shaft normally holds the latch in looking position as shown in Fig. 3. The arrangement is such that by depressing the right end of the latch as seen in Fig. 3, into the notch the shell 44 may be withdrawn from the shaft to the left and in placing a new shell on the shaft the latch will be depressed by the shell so as to permit its passing thereover.

For driving the shaft 45 a sprocket 6D is fixed to the shaft 45 and is adapted to be driven by a chain 5| from a sprocket 62 fixed to the shaft of a fluid operated motor 63 fixed to the head stock 43. The motor is supplied with a fluid under pressure such as compressed air by a pipe 64 from any convenient source, not shown, and is controlled by a valve 65 mounted on the bed plate. For guiding the bed plate in its sWinging movements, handles 66, 6 1 are provided at opposite ends thereof, whereby the operator may grasp a handle in each hand and swing the bed plate to present the spooling mechanism at the desired angle. Thelever 68 for controlling the valve 65 is conveniently pivoted at 69 on the handle 61 and operates in a slot formed in the handle so that by exerting pressure on the handle 61 and the lever 68, the valve may be opened against thepressure of a spring normally a holding the valve closed whereby air is admitted to the motor 63 to drive the shaft 45 in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4, for spooling the cloth wrapping.

For conveniently supplying compressed air to the pipe 64 a flexible hose T0 is connected therewith and is coiled as at H, each coil being supported by an individual hanger 12 adapted to slide along a rod 13 supported by a frame l3. The arrangement is such that as the carriage is moved along the railsin one direction, the coils of the hose become spaced further apart along the rod and as the carriage, is moved in the opposite direction the coils are moved toward each other along the rod. This arrangement keeps the hose off of the floor and out of the way of the operator.

For preventing rotation of the shaft 45 in a direction which would permit the cloth to unwrap from the shell 44, except when desired by the operator, and to cushion the stopping of the shell as in case where, due to adhesion of the cloth to the mandrel and inertia of the mandrel, unwrapping of the cloth from the shell is likely to occur, the following mechanism is provided:

A ratchet wheel 80 is mounted on the shaft 45 for free rotation thereabout with the radial sides of its ratchet teeth facing in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4 and a lever 8| is pivotally mounted at 82 on the head stock and is formed with a pawl 83 in a position to engage a tooth of the ratchet. A coil spring 84 has one end fixed to the lever BI' and the other end fixed to the head stock and normally urges the pawl 83 into engagement with the ratchet wheel 80. It may be disengaged by depressing the lever Bl. A second ratchet wheel 85 is mounted on shaft 45 for free rotation thereabout and is connected to ratchet wheel 80 by a torsion coil spring 86, one end of which is fixed to the ratchet 85 and the other end to the ratchet 80. A cup-shaped collar 81 is fixed to shaft 45 with its cupped portion extending over the ratchet wheel 85. A plurality of pawls 90 are pivotally secured at the collar 81 by screws 9i and are urged by leaf springs 92, fixed to the collar, into engagement with the ratchet teeth of the sprocket 85. These ratchet teeth have their radial faces facing in a clockwise direction as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The arrangement is such that when the shaft 45 is driven by the motor in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, for winding a wrapping from the mandrel to the shell 44, the collar 8'! is driven in a clockwise direction by the shaft 45 to which it is'secured, while the ratchet 85 and ratchet 80, to which it is connected by the coil spring 86, are held against rotation by the frictional resistance of the pawl 83, the pawls 93 permitting the collar 8-! to rotate in this direction. The springs 92 are of such strength that at the normal winding speed the pawls 98 are held from engagement with the ratchet 85 due to centrifugal force. cloth from the shell 44 is attempted, as when due to adhesion of the cloth to the hose or other article the pull becomes great and due to inertia of the mandrel the cloth starts to wrap about the mandrel in the opposite direction, the pawls 9i! due to reduction of centrifugal force and to pressure of springs 92 engage the radial faces of the ratchet 85 which attempts rotation of the ratchet 86 against the pawl 83 and tearing of the cloth wrapping is prevented by cushioning of the torsion spring 85. The cushioning action may be supplemented if desired by the use of an air motor which has some cushioning action.

If the operator desires, however, he may depress the lever 8| and thereby disengage the pawl 83 from the ratchet and permit free rotation of the shell 44 in the counter-clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4.

For guiding the wrapping an arm H35 is supported by the carriage 32 and extends over the mandrel where it supports a horizontal rod [0| having its ends bent in U-shape to provide a guide as shown in Fig. l. The ends of the guide are spaced apart by a distance at least equal to the width of the wrapping so as to permit threading the wrapping through the U-shaped portions.

In the operation of the apparatus the article to be unwrapped is laid in the bite of the rolls i8, 28, and an empty shell 44 is secured to the shaft 45. The end of the wrapping is pulled loose by hand and threaded through the guide 10! and started about the shell. The operator then grasps the handles 66, 6'! and swings the bed plate 4 3 to align with the angle of the helical wrapping on the article. He then depresses the valve lever 68 causing the shell 44 to be rotated in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4 and as the wrapping is withdrawn from the article the carriage 32 is moved along the rails by the axial component of the angular force applied to the wrapping so that the operator merely steadies the spooling mechanism at the proper angle and follows it by walking along with it.

Should the adhesion of the cloth to the article become great and the inertia of the rotating mechanism attempt to rewind the cloth on the mandrel, the ratchet wheel 3% stops the shell and the torsion spring cushions the stopping so as to prevent breaking of the wrapping. The operator, when this occurs, may release the lever When, however, unwrapping of the 68 stopping the motor and if he desires to release the tension on the wrapping may depress the lever 8| until the Wrapping has been loosened at the adhered position. Such attempts to rewind may also occur where one wrapping has become inter-wound with another.

The apparatus permits the operator to rewind the wrapping directly on spools as it is unwrapped from the article and prevents breaking of the cloth. It relieves the operator from a great portion of the manual labor and preserves the wrappings, while greatly reducing the amount of labor necessary in the manufacture of such articles. It provides instant control by the operator while permitting the use of power for the spooling operation.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising means for rotatably supporting the article, a rotatable spindle mounted for movement along the article, means for driving the spindle in One direction to wind a wrapping thereon, and means for arresting rotation thereof in the opposite direction, said arresting means comprising means for cushioning the arrest.

2. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus com-prising means for supporting the article for rotation, a rotatable spindle mounted for movement along the article and for swiveling movement with respect to the article, means for driving the spindle in one direction, and means for arresting rotation thereof in the opposite direction.

3. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising means for supporting the article for rotation, a rotatable spindle mounted for movement along the article and for swiveling movement with respect to the article, means for driving the spindle in one direction, means for arresting rotation thereof in the opposite direction, and means controllable by the operator for permitting rotation of the spindle in the opposite direction.

4. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising means for supporting the article for rotation, a carriage mounted for movement along the article, a rotatable spindle on said carriage for spooling the wrapping, means for driving the spindle in one direction, and means for aligning the spindle with the angle of the helical wrapping.

5. Apparatus for spooling a Wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising means for supporting the article for rotation, a rotatable spindle mounted for movement along the article and for swiveling movement with respect to the article, means for driving the spindle in one direction, and means for arresting rotation thereof in the opposite direction.

6. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising means for supporting the article for rotation, a rotatable spindle mounted for movement along the article and for swiveling movement with respect to the article, means for driving the spindle in one direction, and means for arresting rotation thereof in the opposite direction, said last-named means being releasable by the operator.

'7. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising means for supporting the article for rotation, a rotatable spindle mounted for movement along the article and for swiveling movement with respect to the article, means for driving the spindle in one direction, and means for arresting rotation thereof in the opposite direction, said last-named means comprising means for cushioning the arrest of the spindle.

8. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising a set of cradle rolls for supporting the article for rotation, a carriage mounted for movement along the article, a rotatable spindle on said carriage for spooling the wrapping, means controlled by the operator for adjusting the angular relation of the spindle with the article to align it with the helical wrapping, means mounted on said carriage for driving said spindle in one direction, ratchet means for arresting rotation of the spindle in the opposite direction, means for cushioning the arrest of the spindle, and means controllable by the operator for permitting rotation of said spindle independent of said ratchet means.

9. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising a set of cradle rolls for supporting the article for rotation, a carriage mounted for movement along the article, a rotatable spindle on said carriage for spooling the wrapping, means controlled by the operator for adjusting the angular relation of the spindle with the article to align it with the helical wrapping, means mounted on said carriage for driving said spindle in one direction, ratchet means for arresting rotation of the spindle in the opposite direction, means for cushioning the arrest of the spindle, and means controllable by the operator for permitting rotation of said spindle independent of said ratchet means, said driving means comprising a motor and control means therefor mounted on said spindle adjusting means.

10. Apparatus for spooling a wrapping from an article helically wrapped therewith, said apparatus comprising a set of cradle rolls for supporting the article for rotation, a carriage mounted for movement along the article, a rotatable spindle on said carriage for spooling the wrapping, means controlled by the operator for adjusting the angular relation of the spindle with the article to align it with the helical wrapping, means mounted on said carriage for driving said spindle in one direction, ratchet means for arresting rotation of the spindle in the opposite direction, means for cushioning the arrest of the spindle, and means controllable by the operator for permitting rotation of said spindle independent of said ratchet means, said driving means comprising a motor mounted on said carriage and adjustable with said spindle, and control means therefor mounted on said carriage.

EDWARD A. DAVIS. 

